Soul Singer Teena Marie Dead At 54

I had been watching my timeline go up in flames for about a hour over the sad news of soul singer Teena Marie’s death. Some opportunistic individuals in search of their next Twitter controversy made jokes in poor taste about her passing while friends and fans tried to get the correct story. Below are media reports regarding her death. Rest in peace, Teena Marie.

R&B singer Teena Marie was found dead in her California home on Sunday morning, according to numerous reports.

The singer-songwriter was 54. Teena Marie was born Marie Christine Brockert and rose to fame thanks to her partnership with the late funk legend Rick James. The soulful singer was best known for her hits such as “Lovergirl” and racked up 13 studio albums, six of which went platinum on the U.S. R&B charts.

The cause of the singer’s death was not immediately known but CNN reported that the singer suffered a seizure while watching a movie.

Eerily on Christmas Day the singer tweeted a Sarah Vaughan song lyric: “May you never grow old, and may I never die.”

The reaction to her death spread quickly across the music and social media world. Legendary R&B singer Eddie Levert told CNN that “A lot of black people swore by her and believed in her, as far as her music was concerned.” (New York Daily News)

Grammy nominated singer Teena Marie — once known as Rick James‘ protégée — died in her sleep last night at the age of 54 … TMZ has confirmed with Teena’s rep Lynn Jeter. So far it’s unclear what caused the singer’s death.

Marie was nominated for a Grammy four times … her first top ten hit was “I’m Just a Sucker for Your Love.” (TMZ)

Teena Marie, an award-winning singer-songwriter known for her R&B performances, has died, her manager said Sunday. The performer was 54. (CNN)